Take my hand
by Sakura Alexia
Summary: A sort of 5 plus 1 thing in which five times Ava needs Maya's help, and one time that Maya needs Ava's. A small collection of bonding moments between the two before the events of BL3.
1. First Meeting

Why did she come here? There's nothing on this planet of any interest whatsoever, at this point, it would be better if she tried to get off it, problem was, there was nothing of value she could get her hands on so she could sell it for money, and then, use said money to leave.

If nothing else, at least this place seemed peaceful, which was a change of pace for a change, no bandits, no outlaws that tried to steal her stuff nor kill her, somehow it was nice.

Still, for as good as it looked, there was nothing for her here, the people of the planet didn't seem to own much of anything, that was precious that was, and the rest, they were monks, she doubted they had much more than the civilians.

However, there was a woman that caught her interest. She often saw her around the markets, she too wore a long coat, similar to the monks she had seen, yet, it didn't look like she was one of them. From what she heard, the monks here were non-violent, but, she had what it looked like to be a combat suit of some sort, and even had tattoos on her left arm, blue ones, such a weird choice for a religious person. Often she held a really pretty looking Maliwan gun too, and SMG, corrosive from the looks of it, in yellow and blue colors. She was no pacifist, Ava decided, perhaps a protector of sorts? Doubtful, given how peaceful Athenas looked like, but it was true that the people here seemed to think highly of her from the way they looked at her in awe.

If there was anything to get, it was that gun, or if not, she could try and reach for that book the woman always carried around, the one attached to her belt, it had to be important if she always had it on her, and looked easier to get to.

She would be lying if she didn't feel intimidated though, the woman held an aura of mystery around her, and there was such confidence in the way she walked, she had the stance of someone that wouldn't bow her head to anyone nor anything. But, if she wanted to get away from here, she had to try, she dealt with bandits before, she could deal with a single woman.

Ava walked around the market, blending in with the other people present to not look suspicious, currently, the woman she looked for, had her back on her, and was busy talking to one of the monks, perfect. She would have to be quick, walk up to her, get the book and run while she was distracted, easy.

She did exactly that, but as her fingertips barely touched the cover, she was swept from her feet and lifted up in the air by some unknown force. There was a blue aura around her, she seemed to be trapped in something, but, it didn't hurt, she could not move however.

She took notice of the woman's strange markings glowing faintly, she was still turned away but her left arm was held high in the air, unlike before. Just, who the hell was she? What was she even? Panic settled in her chest at the woman turned around to face her.

* * *

Maya had always been prepared to face everything through her entire life, ever since she was born, and even more during her experience on Pandora, but, she wasn't quite ready to see what she saw now.

She was used to see thieves and ill intentioned people even here on Athenas, they showed up even there sometimes, and when that happened, she took care of them without much thought. But, she had quite expected to see a child, in fact, she did not expect it at all.

She saw the monk she was talking to open his mouth to say something, she held out her free hand to stop him, and with the other, she gently lowered her Phaselock down to ground level, before releasing the child she had trapped. All under the kid's terrified gaze. Maya inwardly sighed, she didn't care when her enemies were scared of her, she loved it in fact, but this was just a young kid, she hated having that effect on people sometimes.

Crouching in front of the cowering child, she gave her a good look. At first glance, she didn't appear to be any older than Tina when she met her the first time years ago, early teen years she assumed. Her clothes were dirty and ruined, and she looked like she didn't have a proper bath nor a meal in a long while, something like this wasn't common occurrence on Athenas, it was on Pandora, not on her home planet. Whatever happened to this kid, it was clear that she was a survivor of some tragic occurrence, which would explain her need to try and steal her stuff, she needed money to survive another day. In a way, it was somewhat similar on how life was on Pandora.

Putting on her kindest and best smile, she thought it would be better to try a nicer approach, she had already scared her after all, and she didn't mean to.

"What's your name?"

The look she received was of shock and confusion, perhaps the kid wasn't expecting it? She had done many questionable things in the past as a Vault Hunter, but she would never harm a child, even as outlaws, they had standards, all of them.

"A-Ava..." she stammered. Maya nodded at her.

"I'm Maya." she said, still maintaining the same approach as before.

The Siren turned back the the monk she was speaking to earlier. "We should take her to the monastery, it is clear that this child hasn't received an act of kindness in a long time. She could use a warm meal and a bath, perhaps new clothes too."

He nodded at her, scratching his chin. "I have nothing against it, but some Brothers might disagree."

Maya huffed. "Let me take care of them." she turned back at the child.

"Say, are you coming with us? I won't accept a no." she extended a hand towards her, the gloved one, just to be sure. Not everyone was keen to touch Siren markings.

She saw hesitation, but eventually, the kid reached out for it, she nodded to the monk and they headed back to the monastery, walking in comfortable silence the entire way back.

* * *

The trek was relatively long, with the monastery being atop one of the cliffs, and Ava felt like her legs were hurting, as if she had run too much. Nonetheless, the woman, Maya, kept her word, the monks were curious, but they seemed to accept her presence, most of them at least, a few held a hostile air around them, but they said nothing about it.

Maya instructed the man accompanying them to warn their cook to make something up for them both, apparently, when they met, the woman had just finished a training session. Make sure its fitting for a child, and make them generous rations, she had said.

She lead her to the main bathroom right after, which Ava was sure was the biggest one she had ever seen, and prepared a warm bath for her, telling her that she could use anything she needed, before leaving her to her things, and thoughts.

Ava relaxed in the tub, warm water soothing her skin, she honestly couldn't remember when she had the luxury to even wash herself properly, it had been long.

As she washed herself, her thoughts drifted back to Maya. Her first impressions about her had been correct, she was a strong woman, and she was respected, she was also scary though, what were those powers she had? Why were her tattoos glowing the way they did when she held her high in the air? However, for a scary as she was, she also looked very kind, for all the time she had been roaming around places, she hadn't met anyone that was willing to help her out, nobody seemed to care that she was just a child, alone, struggling to survive, she was just a thief for everyone. Maya didn't seem to care about said fact, she was the opposite of all those people, well, at least she appeared to be, judging from her words. So far, she could give her the benefit of doubt.

Speaking of Maya, she reappeared not too long after, it looked like she had washed herself too, as now she wore regular clothes and a towel around her neck, and, speaking of clothes, she was holding some too, probably for her.

"These were mine of when I was younger, they were all I could find that could fit you." she said, placing them on one of the cabinets, they were black tights, a black tight shirt and jeans hoodie, not too bad, and certainly better and cleaner than what she had before.

Still, Ava frowned at her. "Why are you helping me?" she asked, she didn't mean to sound ungrateful, but, she had to know.

Maya just shrugged. "Why shouldn't I?" she replied, passing the towel on her hair to dry them more, only now Ava noticed they were only long at the front.

"Look, I don't need a reason to help anyone. You looked like you needed it, badly, simple as that. Even if I don't know you, it doesn't take a genius to see that you had it rough." she continued.

"Most people wouldn't think the same as you." she shrugged again. "I am used at being different kid." she sat on the edge of the tub. "Its a harsh world out there, and if I have to be honest, you would be better off with someone that can look after you, and teach you how to survive."

"And that person would be you? No offense, but you don't look much different from these monks here, you just have weird powers, what do you know about survival?" Ava frowned, crossing her arms.

Maya laughed. "I know far more than what you believe." she said. "Of course, you're free to leave whenever, but you are also free to stay too."

"The monk of before said that some of the others might get angry."

The Siren scoffed. "They won't dare go against me, don't worry about them, they will stay in their place." that sounded like a threat, thankfully it wasn't directed towards her.

"Food will probably be ready soon, I'll wait for you outside." she left without saying more, and Ava wasn't going to argue against the possibility of getting a free meal. Even if she couldn't quite understand why Maya was doing this for her, was it pity? She hoped not.

It didn't take long to dry herself off and dress up in the new clothes, the hoodie was a bit long, but the rest was fitting enough. As promised, Maya was outside waiting for her to lead her to the dining area.

There was a really large table there, with lots of chairs around it, Ava assumed that when they ate, the monks did it all together, given the size, it looked like it could fit a lot of people at once. She chose one of the chairs at random and sat down, waiting for Maya to return from the kitchen.

She came back with two steaming plates of what it looked like soup, yet the vegetables looked like they were finely cut to super tiny pieces, also there was rice and potatoes in it too, it looked weird, but it smelled fantastic, and Ava was starving. She would have eaten a ratch if she had to.

Wasting no time, she grabbed a spoon and dug in, still being careful to not scorch her tongue though. It warmed her up from the first spoonful, this was the most delicious thing she had in forever.

She heard Maya chuckle next to her as she ate too, she was watching her, and was probably happy to see her eat, she wasn't about to let a free meal go to waste after all. They both ate in silence, Ava noticed that Maya was left handed, she had never seen one before, also, weren't guns for right handed people? She was curious to see her in action with one to see how she did it, she knew she had a weapon, a pretty one, how could she manage? But, that would mean staying, and she wasn't contrary for the moment, but something told Ava that some of the monks weren't happy with her presence though.

Her suspicions proved to be correct when one of them came storming in, raging all over.

"Who the hell is this? I demand an explanation!" he shouted, making Ava shrink in her chair, wishing she could blend with it.

She saw Maya get up from her own seat, slowly, somehow, despite the aura of calmness she displayed, it was clear that she was pissed.

"Is there a problem Brother Sinon?" she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Who gave you permission to bring a thief here?" there was the thief thing again, weren't monks supposed to be merciful and understanding?

"She's a kid, and she needed help, and she's staying for as long as she will want to." she walked over to him, still somewhat calm, but Ava noticed the light pulse from the markings at her side.

"Unacceptable! Don't you have some respect for us?"

"Don't you dare talk of respect to me!" Maya finally snapped. "You have no right to do so after what you've done! None of you do. She is staying here, whether you like it or not, is that clear!?" she glared. He growled at her but didn't respond. "Now leave, your presence is not welcomed." she spoke with such coldness that Ava shivered just from the sound. Nonetheless he left.

Maya gave a huff, before returning to her seat and finishing her meal, Ava didn't dare to ask, not wanting to risk getting caught in her wrath again, though she was curious, did something happen in the past between them?

Ava jumped at the sound of Maya's voice, she had returned to her normal self but, it didn't make her any less scared at the moment. "I'm sorry, what?" she had missed the question too.

"I asked if you were still hungry, there's more if you want." she wanted to say no, but her stomach growled, the first helping, though it was good, was not enough, she did not eat much like... forever.

"I'd like a bit more yes." she shyly said, fiddling with the hem of the hoodie. Maya nodded as she went to get a second plate for the both of them. "Don't be afraid to ask next time." she said as she put the plate in front of her again.

"I uh... thanks." she blushed.

"Don't mention it."

Once full and happy, Maya took her to her room, where she said she had the monks put a mattress on the floor until they found a proper space for her to stay. She couldn't wait to get some much needed rest, but as soon as she reached to the mattress, Maya stopped her.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, confused.

"None, but, you sleep there." she pointed to the bed next to it, her own bed. "Are you sure? I slept on worse before."

"So did I kid, don't worry for me and rest up all you need." Maya nodded at her.

Ava eased herself into her bed, it was soft and warm and vaguely smelled like lavender. She saw Maya head over to the desk across the room, picking up a book to read, there were plenty she noticed. She didn't have time to look around too much, as exhaustion took over and she fell asleep.

* * *

When she woke up again, it was plain night, she had slept a long time, she noticed Maya being asleep on the mattress on the floor, all curled up and tangled in a blue blanket. Her markings were glowing softly from under the cloth, mimicking the rhythm of her breath as she slept.

Ava still asked herself what she could be, she had never seen a woman with such enchanting tattoos on her, she guessed she could ask in the future.

Thanks to Maya, today she had felt better than what she did in ages, she was clean, sated and well rested. Perhaps staying on Athenas with her for a while wouldn't be so bad.


	2. Nightmares

When Maya glanced up from her book, it was already late in the night, outside the window of the library the moon was high in the sky, shining down on Athenas. She sighed, she had spent too much time studying that she lost track of time, again, like it often happened, not that she minded, she was more than used at having sleepless nights from way back on her time on Pandora, there, quiet nights were more than rare.

Still, since she returned home, she very much preferred to keep a regular schedule, for her health more than for anything else, but, now that she had to take care of Ava, she was more tired than how she felt in a long time, and needed to rest well if she wanted to watch over the kid well enough. And it wasn't an easy task, Ava made sure to make Maya's life harder in any way possible, getting her to listen was an impossible task, not that the Siren blamed her, she hated being ordered around too, but, the kid was far more reckless than how she had ever been at her age, so Maya found herself having to watch her over all the time, to assure herself that Ava wouldn't get in trouble, not too much at least.

Closing the book, she stretched in the chair, before deciding to leave the library, without bothering to put the book back in its place, she could do it tomorrow anyways.

She was just about to reach her room when she heard whimpers coming from another, immediately, she knew it was Ava, her room had been settled right next to her own, and, it wasn't the first time that Maya heard the kid's cries into the night. Nightmares, she assumed, about what, she didn't know, and she didn't press either, Ava had her own secrets, just like her. She guessed that it was because of whatever she had to endure before she came here, she didn't know the kid's past, but one thing she knew for sure, whoever was taking care of her before they met, was no longer with her, whether it was dead or just gone, she didn't know, but Ava had been clearly left alone and lonely.

She didn't dare to ask her, she was curious yes, but, no one ever talked freely of tragic events, with a sad smile, she recalled how hard it had been for her to even mention the abbey to her friends, not that she didn't trust them, but it hurt talking about it, and, she believed that they didn't need to bother to know, as it wasn't their problem. How wrong she had been, talking about how Athenas used to be, and how the monks used her back then, had been nothing but liberating, like a weight was being lifted from her shoulders, and of course, she always had a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on for everyone else too.

Another whimper distracted her from her memories, she sighed, what should she do? She could wake her up, but would Ava be angry? Would she be okay with it? So far, she had left her alone the other times, as much as it pained her, but she wasn't sure how long she could keep ignoring it. Ava might not appreciate, but, she wasn't going to leave her to suffer alone anymore, Maya herself had no one before, and it was atrocious to bear for a child, Brother Sophis had never cared for her after all. She shook her head, no, she wouldn't treat Ava the way she was treated as a kid.

Quietly, she walked over to the kid's bed, she was shivering and crying, wrapped in her blankets. With a gentle hand, she touched Ava's shoulder, shaking her lightly to wake her up and tear her away from that horrible dream.

She watched as Ava bolted up in panic, frantically looking around and breathing heavily, slowing down once she noticed Maya.

"Oh... its you..." she sighed, trying to make it sound like she was annoyed, but the Siren noticed the gratefulness behind it.

"You were having a bad dream." Maya said, trying to sound as gentle as possible, Ava just slowly nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" the kid shook her head, lying back down.

The Siren tucked her in. "Well, I'll be in my room if you need me okay?"

She walked away towards the door when Ava stopped her. "Wait." she turned back, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"

She saw the kid fiddle with the hem of the blanket, she tended to do that with her clothes too when she was being shy. "Could... could you please stay with me?"

Maya smiled softly. "Sure thing."

The kid didn't say anything, but moved over to the side and held the blanket open, patting the now empty space, and the Siren didn't lose time in inviting herself under the covers, pulling them over them both again.

What she didn't quite expect, was for Ava to snuggle into her, it had caught her off-guard, and, if she had been a few years younger, she would have jumped at the contact, but, lots of friendly touches and hugs from her Vault Hunter friends got her used to what was human contact, another thing the Order had kept her away from.

She wrapped her own arm around her, stroking the kid's blue hair, trying to soothe her. They stayed that way for a while, Maya's markings began to glow softly in the process.

"I miss my parents." Ava spoke up, snuggling further into her. "My mom used to hold me like this all the time when I had nightmares." she said.

The Siren hummed. "Well, I am not her, but, I can hold you like this every time you need."

"Thanks..." the kid murmured, she looked up to her. "And you? Do you have parents? What were they like?"

It was Maya's turn to avert her eyes, she sighed. "I... I don't know..." she continued before Ava could ask. "I never knew them, as soon as I was born, I was given to the Order, none of them ever mentioned anything about my parents, if they were still alive, if they weren't, with time I just stopped thinking about it."

Even though, also with the passing of time, she got to know what the Order was truly like, and, she assumed that they took her away from them and killed them so they couldn't talk, it would be something Brother Sophis would certainly do. That's what she believed it happened back then.

"I'm sorry, Maya."

She shook her head. "It's okay... I got over it, and, one day you will get over what happened to you as well. In the meantime, I'll be here to aid you when you'll feel sad."

Ava smiled a little. "You're so kind."

"Only with who deserves kindness." she snorted. "Now sleep, we've got a log day ahead of us, and I want you to be in top shape for tomorrow's training."

The kid hummed, but said nothing more, she closed her eyes and in a little bit, she was fast asleep again, snuggled up against Maya as she held her close.

Still, she felt weird, not weird because this felt wrong, in fact it felt very, very right, but, she could feel that there was something different within her, a new feeling she couldn't quite place. Sure, she cared for her friends back on Pandora, she had offered them aid in more ways than one, whether it was emotional support or physical, it didn't really matter. When they were sad, she gave them her shoulder to cry on, when they were worried, she would wrap her arms around them, when they were hurt or sick, she'd look after them and fix what her powers allowed her to. She was their protector, and the same way, now, right here, she felt the same with Ava.

She hadn't known the kid for a long time yet, she grew on her in so little... just like her friends did back then but somehow even stronger than that. Back then, she grew to know the others, because of the need to stay together to survive, which later blossomed in a beautiful friendship. With Ava, she didn't quite know what it was, but she knew, deep in her heart, that she had to protect this child.

It had been a sensation that flooded through her the moment their eyes met, much like back then, she had felt the sudden need to go back home, like Athenas was calling her back, pulling her like a magnet despite the hate she felt for this place, and she did go back indeed. The mystery had clicked once she got to know the secret of this planet, of its Vault Key fragment, it had to be protected, it had to be preserved, and, she was positive that one day, Lilith and the others would come looking for it, and they would find it safe and sound in its resting place.

Perhaps then, there was more to this child than what she knew, she felt attracted by her just like then, so maybe in the future she would find the answer to this mystery too.

She held Ava even closer, kissing the top of her head, she would keep watching over her until she will find the answer, and even then, she will keep protecting her from anything, should it even cost her life.


	3. Stealing

Maya heard the commotion from all the way since she entered the monastery, she had gone to buy some stuff for herself and Ava, when she returned to a lot of shouting. And that, was never a good sign, it usually meant that the kid got caught doing something she wasn't supposed to.

Sighing to herself she headed over from where the noise was coming from, which appeared to be the garden.

"What is happening over here?" she asked, her hands on her hips to emphasize her annoyance.

Her voice made both of the others jump at the sound, not that she cared, she wasn't particularly in the mood for joking. As much as she loved Ava, she honestly gave her one headache of too many, she was always somewhere up to no good, and Brother Sinon, he was anything but nice to them both. With the fact that he used to be the head monk before she came back, he had it in for her and didn't bother hiding it when she returned and took the reins of the monastery, she didn't trust him one bit, he used to be one of Sophis' supporters too, which didn't make him look any better in her eyes. He was probably still mad at her for killing him, if he only knew how pissed she had been at him when she found out the truth, death was just a mercy for a snake such as Sophis.

Ava was the first to speak. "N-nothing Maya, what makes you think it happened something?" she nervously laughed, the kid wasn't good at lying, the Siren that found out quickly, but at least she wasn't a coward and she still faced her head on.

Sinon had growled at the kid. "I caught this little thief stealing our stuff again." he reached over pulling at Ava's ear, she yelped.

"That's not true! I didn't take anything!" she tired to get away, which only made the monk pull harder. "Say the truth for once!"

"Let her go." she commanded, not wanting to watch this display anymore, but to her dislike, he didn't free the kid's ear in the slightest, he only glared at them both. "You're too soft with this misfit."

She growled, frustrated, since he wasn't willing to cooperate, she would make him. Maya forcibly grabbed the wrist of the hand that was holding Ava's poor ear, and squeezed with all her strength, forcing him to open his hand and let go as he yelped like a baby from the pain. Not wanting to be done, nor be nice, she still held him and pulled his arm up, lifting him off the ground of a few inches, he was smaller, older, and shorter than her after all, and she was still a Siren.

"I believe I told you before to not lay a hand on Ava, did I not make myself clear?" she asked between gritted teeth, she was not happy at all, and it was very well visible from the soft glow of her markings.

He bowed his head at her, fear. "Yes, you did, I apologize." an attempt to get away with and apology, cowardice. That was all he was made of.

She let him go, not caring if he fell on his backside or got hurt, she had no regard for who disrespected her, particularly if it was someone of the Order. Some were fine, most of them actually, they had accepted her presence since she came back, and seemed totally fine with it, however, there were still some black sheep among them. Which at first, she considered getting rid of, but, she was no dictator, she wouldn't be that way. The same way they tried to raise her to become.

"I do not appreciate being double crossed, I believe you should have learned that lesson long ago, but I see it wasn't the case." her eyes hardened. "Should that happen ever again, you can consider yourself a goner. Now leave."

She watched as he picked himself up and left, grumbling all the way. She didn't care, she wasn't about to let herself be used and disrespected by the same people ever again. Back then, she was just a foolish child, but now she was an adult, strong and smart, and who didn't respect her nor Ava, would meet death face to face.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down, in order to prepare herself to face Ava with a clear head. She saw her sneak away, but she knew the kid was too curious to have strayed far from them.

* * *

Ava hid from behind the columns, she had never seen Maya this mad before, she knew she had her discussions with the other monks, with Sinon in particular, he had a habit of being disrespectful, to them both but to Maya the most, but, never before she issued him threats. Just... what the hell was going on between them?

She watched the entire thing play out, and honestly, she didn't feel that much fear towards Maya since they met. She was pissed, for real this time.

Something told Ava she wouldn't like what was going to happen next, she should have left sooner, now Maya was going to take her anger out on her, and this was scary.

She saw Maya turn in her direction, she was hidden, yet the Siren always seemed to know where she was, pure instinct or something more?

"I know you're there Ava, come out, I just want to talk." she called her out, and the kid had no choice but to listen, to not make Maya even more angry. Even if she tried to run she would have caught up to her, the Siren was bigger, stronger and faster, and also, she really disliked cowards Ava found out.

Slowly she walked up to her, but not daring to meet her eyes.

* * *

Maya inwardly sighed, this was going to give her a headache soon, though she couldn't really blame Ava, she had been a troublesome kid too, but, it appeared that, unlike her, the child before her happened to be a little thief, she wasn't sure why she kept doing it, but she supposed it was how she survived after being separated from her parents, and certain habits were hard to kill.

She even sneaked into her room to try and get a hold of her book, again, of course she caught her the day after, but still, she did not appreciate her trust being used this way, she left her room unlocked for a reason, and that wasn't because Ava was allowed to sneak in and grab her stuff, but it was if she needed help with something, given her problem with nightmares and such.

"So, what did you do?" she put a hand on her hips for emphasis, if she had to be honest, she was more pissed at Sinon than Ava.

The kid didn't meet her eyes. "I was just hungry... I was going to bring you something too I swear."

Maya sighed, crouching down so Ava had to look at her. "I told you before, you don't have to steal anything, you can just ask for what you want."

"I didn't want to bother Brother Mendel for this."

"I understand, but Ava, you don't need to steal anything anymore, you're not alone, you just have to ask, if you don't want to bother the others then just ask me." she paused, feeling like she should say more. "Listen, if we were on Pandora, your abilities of thief would even be useful, but here? Here there's nothing you will need them for, you can have all you desire, you just have to tell me."

"But you're always so busy with the monastery, and training yourself and me too, and everything else..." Maya put a finger on her lips to stop her from talking. "If you are going to say that you don't want to ask me for something, because you don't want to bother me, then don't. Because if I thought that you were bothering me, then you wouldn't even be here in the first place. I took you in to look after you, not to make you feel like you are a nuisance, is that clear?"

Ava nodded, and she removed her hand. "Are you just going to forgive me? Just like this?"

"Kid, whatever you've done, I probably have done it ten times worse when I was a Vault Hunter, so you and your little thefts are nothing compared to that, they don't faze me in the slightest." she shrugged. "Also, I was a pretty troublesome kid too, can't really blame you on that."

"I wanna hear more stories of you and your Vault Hunter friends, will you tell me some? Please?"

"Sure." Maya nodded. "But first, didn't you say you were hungry? Let's grab something to eat, what do you want?"

Ava put a hand to her chin in thought. "How about something sweet, haven't had anything in a while, and Brother Mendel in not allowing me to eat any."

"He used to do that to me too, I was forced to a rather strict diet before I went to Pandora, where you would be even lucky to find something to eat and kill it before it killed you, usually." she giggled at the memory. "Let's head down to the market and see what they are selling shall we?"

She walked away from the way she came from, Ava right behind her. "Didn't you just come from there? Aren't you tired of walking?"

She shook her head. "No, if nothing it can only do me good, with so little to do on this planet, if I should return at being a Vault Hunter, I'd be out of shape. There were times where you just weren't allowed to rest, despite how much you needed to, so, you just learned to endure it and push through, or else, you'd die. Its how it was, and Handsome Jack made sure to not make our life any easier in that regard."

"He was an asshole, glad he's gone."

"Oh you have no idea." she said, trying to keep a light tone, even if her memories instantly drifted to Angel. Poor thing, people said that you can't choose your family, but she had been the unluckiest person of them all, even more than Maya herself, because, for as bad as it was, at least she grew up in a safe place, and, she wasn't totally alone.

Yet, she felt like Angel's story had to be passed on, she had been too much of a victim alive, she deserved at least a bit of respect and recognition when dead. She had felt for her deeply, and once she was gone, she was reminded of herself and her past all along, they both had been used up like tools from someone else they believed loved and cared for them. And also, in her own way, with her ever constant presence, she had been a friend, and she would always honor a fallen friend.

Maya looked up at the sky, as they descended the staircase that would bring them to the market, aware that Ava was watching her, confused at her behavior and sudden silence. She had half expected for Angel to appear before her eyes, like she had done many times before years ago, but nothing, she was gone, but not entirely, her memory was still there, deeply cherished in Maya's heart.

"Have I ever told you about the Guardian Angel?" she breathed suddenly, she didn't meant to, but she felt like she had to.

Ava expressed her interest immediately, something that made Maya very happy. She wouldn't let Ava be a caged bird like Angel had been, like she herself had been, no, she deserved better, and Maya had to make sure she will receive all the love and compassion that had been denied to them all. This world was cruel, but, at least for what she could, she would make it less cruel for this kid that already suffered enough.


	4. Training

"This isn't fair!" Ava stomped her foot, glaring daggers at Maya.

They were in the middle of a spar, and, even though Maya always went easy on the kid, limiting herself to not use her powers on her, she was clearly too strong, and Ava, inevitably lost all their sessions, one after the other.

"You never give me a chance to beat you." the kid crossed her arms indignantly.

Maya rubbed her forehead. "Ava, no one is going to give you an advantage on the battlefield, not even if you're a kid."

"You hit me even if I was on the ground, I thought you said you wouldn't be mean to me."

And she wasn't being mean, she just meant to teach her a lesson, and also she never actually hit her, she had shoved her, she fell and she feigned to kick her, but apparently Ava was taking it too much on the personal side.

"I didn't hit you, I was pretending to. Listen, no one will care if you're lying down on the ground beaten up, if I was an enemy, I would have finished you off, because that's what they do, its how it goes, its the reality." she paused. "If nothing, you should work on staying on your feet, you fall too easily."

Ava huffed at her. "And how I can not when you shove me around? You're stronger and bigger than I am, and you just want to win."

"This is not a game Ava, I don't gain anything by beating you, while you should take these losses as an opportunity to learn, and not rely on excuses all the time." she pauses. "Its a harsh world out there, and you don't survive battles by complaining."

She heard the kid make a frustrated growl, but she didn't yell back at her. Honestly, she loved Ava, but she was quite the hassle. And, it reminded her too much on when she herself was a kid, and Brother Sophis used to train her, heck, Sophis was even more mean to her, if he saw her lying on the ground like Ava was before, he wouldn't have hesitated to hit her, the back used to be his favorite spot, and Maya had quite the collection of marks, from that, and even more from other of his more questionable training methods, back then she trusted him and, she was too young to understand.

The Siren forcibly tore herself from her memories, she didn't want to remember that, he was gone, he couldn't hurt her nor anyone else anymore. She walked away silently.

Ava followed her, she still looked a bit mad, but more curious, she just now realized that she had been silent for a while. She didn't ask, but she knew she was worried.

"Let's just rest for a bit, then we'll fight some more." she finally spoke.

The kid rolled her eyes at her. "Great, so I can lose again."

Maya sighed. "Ava, listen, everyone has its weak points and strong points, you need to find what makes you strong and what makes your opponent weak in order to succeed."

"Like the way you get lost in thought?" Ava looked at her curiously, and Maya couldn't help but frown. "Why is this relevant now?"

"You do it often, like before, there's something that troubles you, and that's a weakness right?"

"Well yes, but it has nothing to do with fighting, you can't fight an opponent by hoping they'll get distracted, you can't talk your way out from a fight, especially with someone pointing a gun at you which is exactly what you are trying to do now with me. Except the gun thing." she lightly poked the kid's nose and she pulled a face at the gesture.

"I am good at tricking people, but I swear I am not tricking you." she shuffled her feet. "I've been thinking about it a lot, you just stare into space, and sometimes you look so sad."

Maya's eyes widened, she never thought she was being that obvious, but perhaps, spending all that time with her friends, did make her a more readable person than how she used to be before she met them. And she realized how much her past still haunted her, even after all these years. She didn't think that coming back to Athenas would have brought back so many bad memories, and so easily too, but it probably had to be expected.

Ava poked at her arm. "See? You're doing it again, is it me?"

The Siren shook her head with a smile. "No, no. Just... bad memories that show up from time to time. Don't worry about it though."

The kid doesn't look convinced in the slightest. "But I want to help, you always help me when I am sad, I want to do the same."

"But you don't need to, I'll be fine."

"You always say it, you always say that things will be fine to not make me worry. I just want to be useful." the kid shook her head in defiance.

"You are helpful Ava, without you this place would be so boring, but you don't need to concern yourself with my problems okay?" she sighed, she understood why Ava wanted to do this, but really there was no need to, the Maya of the past needed to stay buried where it was.

"But why? Where's the problem? I can keep secrets." she was becoming stubborn now, and Maya knew she wasn't getting out of this unless she gave her a satisfying answer.

"It is not a secret." she shook her head. "Its just... something I do not wish you to know, nor to bother with, and also, it is a thing I am trying to forget, so there's no need to talk about it. You don't like to talk about things that hurt you right? Well, neither do I. End of the story."

Ava opened her mouth to contest, but Maya put a finger on it, stopping her. "End of the story I said." she gave her a hard look.

The kid huffed. "Fine, fine. So much for wanting to make you feel better."

The Siren ruffled her hair with a smile. "Appreciate the thought kid, but I'll feel better not talking about my old memories, let them stay buried where they are." Ava pulled away, but didn't complain. "Okay, I get it."

"So, what I was talking about before?" it wasn't a question because she didn't remember, it was make to see if Ava had been listening.

"You were saying about distractions." Maya nodded at her, good, she was attentive.

"Correct, before you tried to use that tactic with me." Ava looked away, probably expecting to be scolded, again, but the Siren had no intention to do so. "Actually, this makes it all easier."

The kid perked up at the words. "How so?"

"Because we can use this as a practical example. I let my thoughts take over me, and, should I have been fighting anyone, I would have most likely perished, because this world has no place, for who makes mistakes. It is harsh, it is cruel."

"The strong survive and the weak perish, you said it multiple times." Ava replied.

"And it always holds true. Here, on Athenas, things might be peaceful, but it is all except that on any other place."

"Is it that dangerous on Pandora?" Maya nodded at the question.

"Sure is. Bandits, wildlife, some weirdo's corporate forces, even the very same weather. The possibilities are endless, anything could be the end of you. That's why you must never lower your guard, especially if you're alone, because its easier to find someone that would rather stab you in the back, than finding anyone that you can trust." she explained.

"But I have you, and also, you had the other Vault Hunters."

Maya shook her head. "I didn't trust them at the beginning, as a Siren, you are a particularly endangered, if there isn't someone wanting to kill you, there's someone trying to get you on their side to use you." she spoke the last few words with more anger than she would have liked, her mind threatening to fall back into bad thoughts. "And Ava, you shouldn't count on me so much, there will be one day when I won't be there to help you, which is why I want to make sure you become stronger."

The kid hummed at her words, it almost felt weird to see her listening so much, but, that was still progress, it just had to be put into practice.

Maya opened her mouth to continue speaking, when she was swept from her feet from Ava, she embarrassingly tripped over her leg, barely managing to catch herself before hitting her own face on the ground.

In the distance she could hear the kid giggling and snickering at her. "Maybe you shouldn't have trusted me either." she said, before hurrying away, running out from the monastery.

"You sneaky little..." the insult died on her lips, as she chased her apprentice. She hadn't even considered using her Siren powers, she just ran after her. She couldn't even begin to feel angry either, but, if this was a game, she would play along.

Ava kept laughing even when Maya caught up to her and grabbed her by the waist, but the kid's thrashing around threw them both out of balance, however the Siren was able to move them around so only she would hit the ground, while Ava would have fallen on top of her.

"What was that about?" Maya frowned, not angry, just curious.

The kid shrugged. "I was just putting your words into practice." she giggled, and with much surprise, the Siren found herself giggling too.

"Well done, you sneaky fox." she pulled her off her lap and got back up.

Maya suddenly had an idea, a weird one, but, she didn't have to be serious all the time after all.

"Okay then, since you're in the mood for games, now let's see if you can catch up to me."

Ava looked at her as if she was an alien, but she was deadly serious, she turned tail and started running. It wouldn't be much difference from their usual runs around the monastery and to the market, but this time it would be more relaxed.

She found herself laughing like a child as she did, she'd be lying if this hadn't been refreshing from the ever serious aura that was always all around them.

Maya eventually slowed down to allow Ava to catch up to her, once the teen got tired, and if she had to admit, she was starting to feel a bit worn out herself. They stopped for a bit, Ava sitting down leaning on her and falling asleep even.

The Siren didn't bother waking her up, instead she carried her back without much thought. Realizing there, how much she had missed of what a normal childhood should have been, and that she had been kept away from, and probably, how much Ava herself missed having one too. Probably, they could do games like these every now and then she thought, a little fun never hurt anyone.


	5. Falling

"Ava! Where are you?" Maya shouted at no one in particular.

The kid had disappeared on her, again, it wasn't the first time she did, but, she had never been gone for hours before, and Maya was getting worried, what if she got into major trouble because she hadn't been vigilant enough? She did have a thing for getting into bad situations.

She should have known better and followed her when she went out of the monastery and towards the market, or so she told her, Maya had been busy training herself, some techniques Ava wasn't allowed to see, nor to disturb her. It was when the monks informed her way later than she got worried.

The Siren asked around the people at the market, if anyone had seen her, after all, Maya herself was known by everyone and, now her apprentice was too, there was no way that she went unnoticed by everyone.

Fortunately, a few of them claimed that she went towards the cemetery, so that's where she rushed towards, hoping that Ava was okay. She never strayed that far, there had to be a reason why. Or maybe she just wanted to push her boundaries and see what kind of reaction she could get out of the Siren, before she snapped for real.

When she reached the familiar place, she started calling her again, as loud as she could.

She yelled multiple times, and was about to assume the worst, when she heard a faint voice brought to her by the wind. She was sure it was her, but she didn't know where it came from.

"Ava!" she called her again, trying to get her to talk back so she could pinpoint her location.

"Maya!" she heard it louder this time, it sounded like it was coming from down the cliff, she didn't fall down did she? Oh god she hoped not.

"Where are you?" she asked, edging closer.

"Here! Down here!"

Maya's face drained of all color when she heard it, so, she did fall, the fact that she was calling her out made her feel better that she was somehow fine, but she was hurt, without a doubt, and that made her heart painfully clench in her chest, it was her fault, she should have watched over her better.

"Keep talking, so I know where you are!" she told her, there was no way she could get her back up here if she didn't know where she ended up to.

Ava led her through her voice, near the gate, and she could see that the terrain collapsed, that must have been the place, but what was she doing so close to the edge? She owed her an explanation at least.

Maya crouched down and called her again, she responded, she was definitely down there, but the thick fog caused by all the waterfalls didn't let her see a thing, let alone her apprentice. She growled in frustration, she couldn't Phaselock her back up if she couldn't see.

"I can't see you, but I'll find a way to get you out of there, you hang on okay!?" she said, with much dread.

But if there wasn't another choice, she had to climb down herself with her bare hands, and somehow get both of them back too, as she didn't not have any item to help herself with to make things easier.

Quickly she got rid of cape, so it wouldn't get in her way, and her glove on her right hand, so she could have a better grip, and climbed down, hissing as the rocks cut through her palms, but she had to get to Ava.

"Talk to me, guide me!" she yelled, she still couldn't see her, so she had to rely on her ears.

She descended carefully, when she saw her, Ava was lying prone on a bigger jut on the cliff side, holding onto it with all her strength, she had some scrapes but otherwise she didn't look majorly hurt, much to Maya's relief.

The Siren attempted hurry towards her, when part of the rock she grabbed onto crumbled beneath her. She couldn't hold back a scream as she tumbled below.

She made a desperate attempt to grab the rocks again, trying to stop herself from falling, with the only result cutting herself further, a larger and sharper piece of rock that detached lodged itself in her side from her thrashing. She eventually fell into the cold waters below.

* * *

Ava watched her in horror, tears falling down her eyes. She didn't even mean for this to happen, she did not want to get stuck here, it just happened, and now Maya was seriously hurt, she hoped with all he might it didn't get worse even.

All she wanted was to help a little animal, it too was stuck, she had extended her arm towards the creature, and just when she had grabbed it, the cliff just crumbled beneath her, and they both ended up there where they were now.

When Maya found them, she was so relieved, but now she too was in peril.

She didn't know what to do, and she was so close to jumping off too, when she saw a tuft of blue hair emerge from the water.

* * *

Maya felt cold all over her, she held her breath as long as she could, trying to resurface, but she was tired, and hurt, that stupid spiky rock was still settled in her side, and she would have to keep for a while longer or she'd die from the lack of oxygen.

She managed to grab one of the rocks and hoist herself up on it, lying on her good side for a bit, panting and coughing blood and water, mostly the latter, thankfully. She silently cursed herself, she's never been a good swimmer, the monks didn't quite bother teaching her, she had to ask Axton to aid her, and boy, how embarrassing that had been, but at least in this case, it saved her life.

She gently rolled on her back, trying to not hurt herself more than how she already was, so she could look at where Ava was, no doubt she was worried sick, and scared too.

"I'll find a way to get us out of here, I promise!" she tiredly yelled.

Yes, but how, she was tired from the events, she could still feel her heart pounding in fear, her body was stinging all over the place from all the scrapes, and that damn stupid piece of rock just had to get stuck in her side, her left one too, just where it had to be more painful, as if teared open the skin right below her tattoos, where it was most sensitive for a Siren. She recalled Lilith confirming it too long ago, it was apparently normal, and it sucked majorly.

Now, besides that, she had to really find out how to get out of this, and, since she was thinking of Lilith, she did teach her how to do that wing technique like her, only that Maya hadn't been too good at using it. It required a lot of concentration and energy to her, while it had almost been natural to her fellow Siren friend, it must have been the use of Eridium that made things easier for the Firehawk compared to her own self. She would have to experiment herself sometime, hoping not to get sick like the last time, she threw out purple goo for who knows how long, it sure felt like she was going to vomit her own soul at some point. She didn't look forward to it.

Still, it was a useful thing to know, if she could focus enough, she could lift herself and fly, grab Ava and bring them both where they should be instead of down here.

Groaning she rolled over again, and pushed herself up on all fours, the pain wasn't making anything easy, and she was sure it wouldn't help in pulling off the Siren technique either, but she had to hold on and push through, for both of them. She could rest later, when they were safe.

Forcing herself to block any sensation coming through her body but the warm pulse of her powers, she focused them on her back, and spread them apart, in two beautiful wings of fire and acid.

She wasted no time in lifting herself up in the air, Ava herself reached out to her when she came close, to make it easier to grab her, and they flied back to safety.

They both crumbled to the ground, Maya stayed motionless for a bit, lying on her back and catching her breath as her wings faded away. Ava looked over to her.

"Are you okay?" she heard the kid ask.

"I'll be okay..." she panted. "What were you doing? How did you get there?"

Ava didn't respond to her, but she saw her taking off her bag, and a tiny blue head and two red eyes looked at her. "I've found him stuck, so I reached for him, I was putting him into my bag to take him back to the monastery, he's hurt you see, but the ground just crumbled under me. I couldn't do anything."

"Good thing I found you then." she sighed in relief, in the end it was just an accident, and she was glad it didn't go horribly wrong for all of them.

The kid nodded. "But you're hurt now." she looked at her with sad eyes.

"I'll be fine, I just need to be treated, though..." Maya attempted to move, and couldn't hold back a pained sound as she did so. "This thing in my side is making it hard to do anything, I don't think I can get up, unless we remove it." she looked at her apprentice with an expectant look.

"Wait... you are not asking me to remove it are you?" Ava backed away. "I'm not doing it, I'm not hurting you."

"Just do it kid, or I'm afraid we won't go anywhere, I can't do it myself." she pleaded. Ava swallowed but grabbed the stone in both hands regardless. Maya closed her eyes, bracing for even more pain she knew it would come. "Give it one strong pull with all of your strength, make this quick." she said.

Ava did as told, she yelled louder than what she would have liked, as her side split open again, blood flowing freely from the hole left, coating her hands, clothes and making a puddle on the ground. She grit her teeth as she attempted to recover, she could faintly hear Ava apologizing to her.

"We need to go back..." she breathed, as she struggled to push herself up, Ava at her side attempted to help her.

Somehow she managed to push herself on her own until they were back to the market and some of the civilians spotted them, and gave them their help to make it all the way to the monastery, where they were all instantly treated, including the tiny creature Ava attempted to rescue.

* * *

They had both been sent to their respective rooms afterwards, Maya had even been confined to it for a few days, at least until she was good enough to walk properly again, without hurting her side further. And she hated lying in a bed for a extended period of time, but unfortunately, there was nothing else she could do if she wanted to heal. At least they were all safe now.

Her door opened with a sift click, and she didn't need to look to know that it was her apprentice, she was told to stay in her room too, but Maya knew she probably wouldn't have done so, she could sense the kid's worry for her.

She motioned to join her with her hand before she said anything, she knew she wanted to stay with her, and Ava wasted not time in tucking herself in at her side, and wrapping her tiny arms around her torso. She briefly noticed the little animal, now it had one of his paws wrapped in bandages, settling itself in a corner of the bed too.

"Have you given him a name yet?" she asked, briefly recalling Ava telling her he was a boy.

Ava snuggled closer to her, being careful to not touch her injured side. "I was think Hermes maybe."

"Sounds good to me." she never had pets before, the Order wouldn't allow her to keep one, but she wasn't about to deny Ava to have one too. "You'll have to take care of him though, he's your responsibility now, got it?"

The kid excitedly nodded to her, happy that she let her keep him, and also, it would be a test for her to see how responsible Ava could be, it would do her nothing but good.

They stayed silent for a bit, before the kid spoke up again. "I was so scared..."

Maya wrapped her arm tighter around her. "I know."

"I was afraid you would have died... when... when I saw you fall." Ava buried her face into her chest.

"But I am here, we're safe now." she spoke softly.

Ava looked at her with tear stained eyes. "Don't do that again." she shook her head. "Don't die on me, you must promise." she sniffled.

Maya was taken aback, she wanted to say with all her might that she couldn't make such promise, death could happen at any moment, and she knew it well, she couldn't promise that she would never die, because it wasn't right, it wasn't correct, it was not true. But she couldn't bring herself to do so, she couldn't hurt Ava that way, so she said it, even if it was a lie, probably the biggest and most painful one she ever said before.

"I promise."


	6. Sick

Maya stared intensely at the purple rock in her left palm, the energy radiating from it resonating with her own, making her markings glow slightly, in her other she held her precious book open. She sat there for a while, considering her next actions.

She hated Eridium, she hated it with all her might, she had seen first hand what it can do if used constantly and without measure, Angel's passing had taught her this hard lesson, Lilith herself had started showing symptoms of dependence from it too, but thankfully they were able to reverse them before it was too late. As for herself? Eridium had always been a pain, her body seemingly having a hard time accepting it, if at all.

It had been her idea, not much longer after she met Lilith and they were comparing their own unique abilities, and how she had seen the Firehawk use it to power herself up, that Maya believed she could have done so herself, and boy, had she been wrong. She had never thought to feel as sick as she did until that moment, and since then, she hadn't been keen on repeating the experience.

And she still wasn't, but the recent events had made rethink her choices, along with finding that technique in her book that might indeed change things. She had to get stronger if she wanted to be able to protect Ava, and if learning to use Eridium, at cost of hurting herself in the process of learning, then, so be it.

For a moment she stared longer, considering just throwing the rock off the cliff and find other ways to enhance her powers, but she knew there really wasn't anything else to do but this.

Taking a deep breath she focused on absorbing the rock into her, bracing herself for what she hoped wouldn't happen.

She breathed slowly, with her eyes closed, testing the feeling in her body, trying to see if anything had changed within her. Almost disappointed to feel like nothing had changed at all, except for a faint purple glow of her markings, but relieved to not have had any negative reaction this time either. Perhaps the third time she would manage, but for now it was better to not force the hand.

The sound of hurried footsteps distracted her from her musings, a blue tuft of hair appearing in her sights.

"Hey Maya, what'cha doing?" the kid smiled at her.

"Ava, I didn't expect to see you here yet, it isn't time for your training yet."

"I know, but I was bored, so I thought I'd come find you." she saw her looking around, her eyes fixed themselves on the book in Maya's hands. "Were you studying? Did I interrupt you?"

The Siren shook her head. "I was just about to be done with it, and wait for you, but, since you're already here, we could start training early."

Ava nodded eagerly and Maya smiled, she liked when she showed so much enthusiasm. She started pacing around as she usually does when explaining something.

Suddenly, right in the middle of talking, her vision clouded, and her legs weakened, threatening to give out, she stumbled forward, leaning on a nearby tree she was glad was there at the moment.

"Maya?" Ava's worried voice called her, but it was faint, covered by the ringing in her ears.

Sweat broke out on her back, her body feeling like it was on fire, somehow she managed to lower herself in a sitting position, against the tree. She was sure this was the Eridium's doing, but why had it taken so long to show a reaction? Last time it had been instantaneous. She didn't understand.

She could feel the presence of her apprentice crouched next to her, as her small hands held onto her arm. She knew she was worried, and she so much wanted to answer her, to tell her that it would be okay in a while, just like the previous try she had done this with Lilith, but it felt like it was clogged by a ball of cotton, and no matter how hard she tried, no words would come out, just small pained noises.

Ava had never seen anything like this, nor she had seen her being so vulnerable before, except a while ago where she got hurt to save her, but it had been a different thing, and Maya really hoped she wouldn't panic in this situation, she had no way to calm her down in her state of being, while she could barely keep herself together even.

The Siren wrapped her arms around herself, in a futile attempt to stop herself from shaking, she closed her eyes as she rode out the waves of pain that rippled through her body, hoping they would end soon.

She felt a weight around her, and she realized it was Ava trying to hold her in her little arms, she wrapped herself around Maya the best she could, probably trying to hold her the way she uses to when the kid had a nightmare.

"I don't know what is happening, or what to do, and I'm scared..." she felt the kid hug her tighter. "... but I'll stay here with you, until you feel better."

"Thank you..." she managed to murmur, as she let her head fall to the side on top of Ava's, god she was so tired...

Maya lifted a shaking hand to hold on to one of Ava's small arms, she squeezed gently, trying to communicate her that she would have been fine, in a while, and also, that she appreciated the gesture, she truly did.

* * *

Neither of the two had any idea how long they stayed like that, but Ava hadn't moved at all, nor had said a word, she had just stayed quiet at Maya's side, waiting patiently for her to recover. Maya's own moans of discomfort had eventually died down too, she had the tendency to make lots of those whenever she wasn't feeling well she found out.

Eventually the Siren stirred, this time she was the one wrapping her arms around Ava, rubbing small circles on her back. The kid lifted her head slowly, her eyes glistening slightly, sign that she had been holding back her tears.

"How... how are you feeling?" she timidly asked.

"Better, much, much better." she wiped her eyes. "Thanks kid."

"But I did nothing." she frowned.

"You were here, with me, and that did more than you think."

Ava nodded. "What happened to you anyway? One moment you were fine and then... this happens."

Maya sighs. "Eridium, I was experimenting with it." the kid frowned more. "I thought you said Eridium amplifies Siren powers, not make you sick."

"Well, it turns out that my body rejects it, for some reason I don't know." she picks up the book that had fallen out of her hands previously.

"I had found a technique in here that I thought might have helped me, I was either wrong, or I made a mistake." she explained. "I have experienced something like this before, but the previous time the adverse reaction had been immediate." and more vicious too, but Ava didn't need to know the details, what she saw was enough already.

"Maybe you just can't handle it, and if you knew this, why did you want to try anyways? Why hurt yourself?"

"You remember a while ago, when you fell off that cliff? Remember the wings?" Ava nodded. "That technique is something I had never managed to master entirely, it never came easily to me, back then, it was Lilith that taught me how to use it."

"The Firehawk? That one?"

"Yes, her. Lilith had always been able to use Eridium, unlike me, so, she made it look so easy. The other day taught me that, if I wanted to protect you, I needed to get stronger, so I thought that, if I could use Eridium to boost my powers further, I could have been better. That's when I started looking for a way to use it too."

Ava crossed her arms. "You won't try again, will you?"

"Unfortunately, I think I might have to."

"But why? You don't need to get stronger, I just need you the way you are, don't hurt yourself." she pleaded. "Its not worth it."

"I need to, Ava."

"But why? I don't understand..." the kid hung her head, and Maya stroked her cheek.

"You will, one day."

Ava frowned more, not happy of the answer given, but she decided not to press it further, she instead wrapped herself around her teacher again, which responded in kind. And they stayed like that some more. Training could wait until tomorrow.


End file.
